Zoro’s unending pursuit of strength hides a deep emotional pain, fueled by the guilt over not being strong enough to save his childhood friend, Kuina.
Roronoa Zoro is an exceptional swordsman and one of the Straw Hat Pirates in the One Piece world. Everyone knows how much dedication he has to his martial arts skills, with his constant effort and desire for power allowing him to work more extensively than anyone else.
Zoro from One Piece | Credits: Toei Animation
Even with such great improvement and achieving every goal he had set, the ambition of getting even stronger still lies in Zoro’s soul. Therefore, people always wondered: what makes this man so power-hungry? Is it a search for approval, a personal wish for satisfaction, or something far deeper?
Zoro Always Blames Himself For Kuina’s Death!
Shimotsuki Kuina vs Roronoa Zoro | Credits: Toei Animation
Zoro has to endure a very tragic and regretful past that he never seems to forget—the untimely death of his childhood friend, Kuina. Years passed by in the One Piece universe and he still is trying to fight off the pain brought about by the loss of Kuina, and then at times, he thinks all of this was his fault! It propels in him the desire to maintain Kuina’s memory, to whom he is indebted, and keep the promise he made to her to become the best swordsman in the world.
The death of Kuina was even sadder because Zoro could never get the chance to actually beat her in a fight, and since then, the thought of being weaker than her has always kept him uneasy. As also mentioned by this X post, this incident made him doubt himself but also acted as one of the greatest motivators for going further than he thought he could.
Zoro’s Fearful Past Forced Him To Keep Getting Stronger and Stronger
Promise between Kuina & Zoro | Credits: Toei Animation
The grim past of Zoro still gets in his way in the present, whenever he remembers Kuina’s dead body, and how he couldn’t be enough to save her. Because she was Zoro’s only childhood friend and also his sole rival partner, he simply wished if he was a bit stronger he could actually save her from death. That’s why he always keeps saying,
I have to become stronger! I’m still far too weak.
Zoro acts because he really wants to prove himself as somebody who is strong and can keep improving. But his drive for strength with such a goal affects him both in a good and a bad way. While this ambition spurs him to advance and work on his self-improvement, at the same time it also prevents him from correctly moving on from his past trauma.
Does Zoro have to break down completely to realize he has it within himself and that he doesn’t need to keep pushing himself to get anymore stronger? Can he ever find peace, knowing that he is enough even after what happened to Kuina? Only time will tell if Zoro will ever be released from the burdens of his past and realize a new definition of strong, one that encompasses vulnerability and acceptance.
